How do we create protection, perceived security, or resiliency in our designs?

Understanding what conditions create true safety, both physical and psychological, enables us to use design as a means of delivering on what matters to each community.

Primed for Resiliency

Mahlum worked alongside the District in providing a building that is Net-Zero Ready and 62.8% more efficient than a typical building of similar size. The new Beaverton Middle School incorporates the following critical features that support the Oregon Resiliency Plan (ORP):

Increased seismic resistance levels to the primary building structure

A generator sized to operate lights and ventilation in key sheltering areas of the building and administration/communications areas

Hook-ups for water trucks to supply potable water to the building

Through careful design consideration, critical features can enable projects to withstand a serious event, such as an earthquake, and continue to provide power, water, and sewer.

Safety

“Home is where children find safety and security, where we find our identities, where citizenship starts. It usually starts with believing you’re part of a community, and that is essential to having a stable home.”